Judge Under Fire After Daughter Posts Video of Beating

Police investigate after disturbing clip goes viral

(Newser)
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A Texas judge is facing a police investigation along with death threats after his daughter posted a video of a severe beating she endured in 2004, reports KRIS TV. The disturbing seven-minute clip has racked up more than 600,000 views on YouTube after Hillary Adams shared it on Reddit. "My father's harassment was getting really bad, so I decided to finally publish the video that I had been sitting on for seven years," she tells the TV station. The response from Aransas County Court Judge William Adams: "It happened years ago. ... I apologized." He added, "It's not as bad as it looks on tape."

The tape shows a screaming Hillary getting struck repeatedly with a belt, apparently because she had disobeyed her father by downloading music off the Internet. "She has had ataxic cerebral palsy from birth that led her to a passion for technology, which was strictly forbidden by her father's backwards views," says the text accompanying the video. Reddit has a "strong protective streak," notes Gawker, and its users have quickly spread the story.

If the issue is that a child cannot be trusted to behave on the Internet, restrict their Internet access. Only a sadist should really feel the need to resort to violence against a minor for such an indiscretion.
This parenting only sets the example to children that rage and violence are suitable responses to non-violent actions one disagrees with.
Unless we're missing something considerable from the context of this story - all I can see here are 2 bad, sadistic excuses for parents that are better suited to being bullies than to be entrusted with the challenges of childcare.

Internette

Nov 3, 2011 1:31 PM CDT

I received this draconian form of punishment (and worse) all the time as a kid growing up in the 70s/80s. As soon as I finished high school, I got on a plane and moved FAR away. To this day I really don't like my parents, have little respect for them, and have very little to do with either of them. Also, I decided not to have kids of my own.

chutzpah217

Nov 3, 2011 11:40 AM CDT

OMG ~ I cldn't watch the entire vid ~ but, as I watched the 1st 3 mins. w/tears streaming down my face ~ all I could think of is: how could her Mom stand by and allow this to happen? This man is very disturbed and needs to get himself (and his daughter ~ his entire family) to a therapist/counselor . . . The scars from this type of behavior, esp from a parent, can be irreparable.

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